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Theres fan fiction, and then theres what Skyzoo has created withMind of a Saint.
The Brooklyn-bred artist has built a career on high-level rap rooted in perspective, conceptual creativity, and wit.
These things happen when youre really outside in the street, but nobody talks about that side of it.
They just talk about how its a big-ass party and its the coolest job ever.
He would always text me like, You got to doTheo Vs. J.J. Part 2asAvon versus Franklin.
What sealed the deal was noticing a lot of the coke rap lately is all about the glamour.
No one in particular.
But everyones on the yacht, throwing keys in the air like LeBron, running off on the plug.
Wheres the story of your family being in jeopardy because you got stuff in your mothers house?
Wheres the other side of it?
Of course, Jay gave you that, Raekwon and Ghost gave you that, Griselda gives you that.
But a lot of people just dont give you the full story.
And again, that wasnt my life.
But its just this big fantasy and fairy tale to these kids, man.
My whole thing has always been authenticity, being myself.
So how do I get that message and story across?
Im a hugeSnowfallfan and I was like, What if Franklin could just tell his story?
This could have easily just been a one-off concept song that mentions characters and a few scenes.
You cant tell me Rich Paul, LeBrons agent, dont know everything about being an elite basketball player.
But I dont think anybody in 2023 wants to hear an album with 80s beats.
Somebody may say, Shooting like Steph Curry.
Well, you cant say that back then.
Same thing with the Mario Bros. line.
Pipework, the Mario Luigi kind.
Duck hunting on these birds when the scene arrives.
There are things that the show seems to say subtly, but that you say overtly.
A big example of that is Panthers & Powder.
Panthers were about saving the community.
They detested the Franklins of the world.
So how did that kid become that?
Same thing with Views from the Valley.
We know Franklin moved in with the Volpes to have a better life.
Ironically, the Volpes are the ones who introduced him to coke.
So lets talk about it.
You never saw Rob and Franklin in a Corvette together.
It didnt happen in the show, but it absolutelywouldvehappened in the show.
So its not far-fetched.
That lines really thin.
You add too much spice, its over; you dont add enough, it never got started.
Another example I hadnt initially noticed wasthe tribute to Nipsey Hussle.
So every time I go to the mic stand, Nipsey is right there.
It kind of hit me just sitting there writing and seeing his picture.
I was like, Nip was born in 85.
Currently, inSnowfall, were in 86.
That means Nipsey wouldve been a year old,Blacc Samwouldve been about 4.
Theyre all from South Central.
What if Franklin, as a 20-something-year-old, was around them?
Franklin is a fictional character, but he represents so many people that really existed.
Guys like me, Nip, Blacc Sam, were all around the same age.
As little kids, these is the guys that was above us, the Franklins of the world.
Thats how I was able to blend the fictional world with the reality world.
As a writer, that was a lot of fun putting that verse together.
Its kind of like when you come up with a triple or a quadruple entendre.
Its that feeling like, Oh, God, wait until they hear this.
Where do you thinkSnowfallranks all-time?Well, its super-high up there for a lot of reasons.
One, the fact that they tackled that topic.
I know how much it meant to John Singleton, rest in peace to John.
Then, the actings been stellar.
Theyve not missed a single beat on the casting; all of them have knocked it out the park.
The writing is top-tier, the attention to detail.
They checked all the boxes for five seasons.
I tell people all the time, If youre aWirefan, youre going to be aSnowfallfan.
WhenSnowfalldebuted, my son was on the way.
Then during COVID I was able to binge, and man, I was doing a season a day.
My son goes to bed at 8 p.m.; 8:01, Im in the basement on Hulu.
And now its six in the morning, sunny outside with birds chirping.
Even when the new ones dropped, Id watch every episode three times.
I kid you not, I did not turn the series on one time while I was writing.
It was like it really was my life, because Im that invested in the show.
Youre going to kill it, and it just makes too much sense.
Ive got a homie named Doug, he did theSupreme Teamdocumentary on Showtime.
Me and him go back almost 20 years.
Hes best friends with Trevor Engelson, one of the executive producers ofSnowfall.
So he was like, I want to see where this goes.
I have no idea where it can take off, but you 1,000 percent got my support.
The team, the cast, I was told that they do have [the album].
